Decision to probe man’s jail death still pending

The family of a Greek Cypriot man, who died last week in a holding cell while in police custody, is asking for an independent investigation into the incident.

Relatives of a 37-year-old male who was found dead in his jail cell in Lakatamia, Nicosia district, have asked for a probe into the death of their loved one.

According to Philenews, an attorney representing the family has sent letters to the attorney general, police chief, and the president of the Independent Authority for the Investigation of Allegations and Complaints Against the Police.

In the letter, the lawyer is calling for an independent probe into the death, which took place hours after the man’s arrest.

Police say officers responded to a domestic violence call last Wednesday afternoon where they found the suspect who appeared to be agitated and reportedly cursed at police officers. The man also resisted arrest and insulted officers, according to police, during their attempt to subdue and detain him.

The suspect was then booked into jail at Nicosia’s Lakatamia penitentiary where reports said he was later found unconscious inside his cell around 2am. He was immediately rushed to the Emergency Room at Nicosia General Hospital, where doctors on duty pronounced him dead on arrival.

The president of the independent investigating authority, Andreas Paschalides, reportedly asked Police Chief Kypros Michaelides to secure any video and audio footage from the Lakatamia station in case a probe is ordered to go forward.

It was not clear whether a probe would in fact be ordered in the case, but according to Philenews, Lakatamia police station has a CCTV security system which could potentially become part of the investigation.

A post mortem on the detained man’s body, which was conducted by a state forensic pathologist, did not reveal an exact cause of death. Results from tissue samples and toxicology reports are currently pending, with Paschalides hinting to Philenews that in case there are signs of an unnatural death, a probe would absolutely go forward.